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Here's another piece by Mike Beaudet from FOX 25, which just preceded the above article in the OP:

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State raised concerns at shock school; trial of youth shocked for seven hours starts Monday

Updated: Monday, 09 Apr 2012, 7:03 AM EDT
Published : Sunday, 08 Apr 2012, 11:32 PM EDT
Mike Beaudet · http://www.twitter.com/channel_mike
Producer Kevin Rothstein [email protected]

(FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - As the trial is set to begin Monday over a teenager restrained and given painful electric shocks for hours at his school, FOX Undercover has found evidence that raises questions about how this controversial center for the disabled treats its students.

None of these cases are the kinds of stories the Judge Rotenberg Center promotes, stories often told by parents who say the center has saved the lives of their severely disabled children. Those parents are often defending the school's controversial use of electric shocks for treatment.

But Cheryl McCollins is one parent with a different story to tell. She saw a video recording of her son, Andre, being restrained and shocked for hours.

"When I viewed the tape, I saw Andre walking into a room, someone asking him to take off his coat, Andre said no, they shocked him, he went underneath the table trying to get away from them. They pulled him out, tied him up and they continued to shock him," McCollins said.

Cheryl McCollins' story about what happened to her son, Andre, in 2002 at the Canton-based Rotenberg Center was first told by FOX Undercover earlier this year. It was an ordeal captured by the school's surveillance camera, and described in court documents from her lawsuit against the school.

Andre was restrained for seven hours. Each time he screamed or tensed up, he was shocked, 31 times in all.

"When you look at that video tape, what was the purpose of all those shocks?" asked FOX Undercover reporter Mike Beaudet.

"I have no idea," McCollins replied.

"Did you get an apology?" Beaudet asked.

"No, they felt what they did was therapy," McCollins said.

"Does that look like therapy to you?" Beaudet asked.

"No. It was torture," McCollins replied.

After that report aired, FOX Undercover obtained three years of state investigative reports showing more troubling cases, each investigated by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care, which licenses residential schools for the disabled.

The seven reports, turned over under the state's public records law, show just how challenging some of residents can be as they bite, scratch, and otherwise try to hurt themselves and staff.

They also reveal serious concerns about whether the center can handle these difficult cases.

An investigator looking into how one resident was able to slash herself with a razor in 2011 then cut open her stitches three days later wrote, "The program does not appear to be equipped to meet the mental, emotional and social needs of the majority of psychiatrically involved adolescents that are currently admitted into care."

Not true, said Michael Flammia, an attorney representing the Rotenberg Center.

"Even though he made that statement, it's untrue and he's certainly not qualified to make an assessment of the school," Flammia said.

The state also investigated the case of a staff member biting off part of a resident's ear during a restraint and cases involving workers slapping and punching residents and applying an "unwarranted" restraint.

"I would absolutely say those are isolated incidents," Flammia said. "Ninety-nine point nine percent of the staff here do it just right, but no program is perfect."

In another 2011 case, a female resident was "confined to (her) residence, mainly in her room" for 18 days.

The investigative report says, "the confinement and isolation within this house without normal conversation and contact with other peers constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and violations of basic human rights."

The school responded to the report that it was trying to limit the "resident's access to dangerous items", but changed its policies after the investigation.

"She was in perfect health. She was working on her education," Flammia said of the resident. "What she wasn't allowed to do was engage in those behaviors of self abuse and violence so it was just a completely inaccurate statement.....JRC was able to get her behaviors under control and she's now doing beautifully."

"Why did you change your policy if you didn't do anything wrong?" Beaudet asked.

"Because that's what (the Department of Early Education and Care) wanted us to do," Flammia replied. "And JRC, like every other school, does the things that they ask them to do."

FOX Undercover also asked Flammia about the upcoming trial, which may feature video of Andre McCollins' being shocked, video that so far the Judge Rotenberg Center has fought to keep out of the public eye.

"Are you concerned that videotape is going to be played in court?" Beaudet asked.

"That's a case that's in the courts and we're going to allow the courts to handle that case," Flammia replied.

"Potentially could be pretty damaging, I imagine, if that's shown in court," Beaudet added.

"We're confident that the courts are going to resolve it," Flammia replied.

The issue could be resolved soon. Jury selection is scheduled to start Monday in Norfolk Superior Court.


(c) 2012 Fox Television Stations, Inc.

The above article was actually an accompanying piece to the below Featured Article of the same date:

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The Daily Inter Lake
Eye-opening excursions

International travel gives girls at Eureka boarding school a new perspective

Posted: Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:00 am
KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

No matter how many times Kenny Pannell and his wife, Mary Alexine, take students from Chrysalis School in Eureka on an international trip, they always hear some version of the same realization.

"At some point in the trip, the girls always say, 'This is weird. These people have nothing, and they're so happy. We have everything. Why are we not happy?'"

Pannell laughed as he recalled the sense of amazement the girls at his therapeutic boarding school, which opened in 1998, inevitably experience with their epiphany.

"It's the discovery that much of the rest of the world doesn't live like us," he said. "And that you can be happy without all the things that you have."

Pannell and Alexine have taken Chrysalis students all over the world in the last decade. The school's most recent trip was in July, when 10 students, one parent, Pannell and Alexine traveled to Moshi, Tanzania.

The trip included a safari and a five-day climb up Mount Kilimanjaro. But nearly everyone agreed that the journey's highlight was the week they spent at Kaloleni Primary School.

The school is located on Moshi's distant perimeter, a 30-minute hike from the group's hotel. The walk took the Chrysalis group through Moshi's most destitute section to one of the poorest schools in the area.

"The people of the Kaloleni community are impoverished and have very little in terms of their collective economy and material possessions," Alexine said in an e-mail to the Inter Lake. "Yet they are wealthy and generous in spirit."

The girls worked hard all week at Kaloleni, taking care of the top items on Headmistress Sara Chuo's wish list. With help from faculty and students, the Montana group built part of a 6-foot-high fence to enclose the school's classroom and courtyard area. They helped install a new soccer goal to replace the goal that had been stolen months, or possibly years, earlier.

They repainted classrooms and helped fix the pitted and cracked cement floors. The girls also helped rehabilitate the toilet that had been turned into an apartment for teachers. Six people live in each half of the apartment, Pannell said, and while their work improved the apartment, there was little they could do about the lack of space.

"We turned it into a livable space, but it's still cramped," he said.

The cost of supplies was included in the price the Chrysalis team paid for the trip, but the travel guides didn't buy enough, Pannell said.

"They underestimated our girls' efficiency. In two days, we used all the materials," he said.

Pannell bought more supplies to help the girls finish their projects. The school also bought tools for the school to keep, including hammers to replace the handle-less hammer heads that had been wrapped in duct tape to protect fingers from the sharp metal edges.

Although the work was hard, their time at Kaloleni was 15-year-old Charli's favorite part of the trip.

"It was a really exciting thing. Working with the kids was the best," she said. "They were so friendly. They had school off, but they came in to work with us."

Some of the children knew English, and some didn't, Kramer said. The Chrysalis girls taught the Kaloleni students some English words, and the Kaloleni students taught the Chrysalis girls some Swahili.

"Somehow (it's always a mystery) we all managed to communicate with relative ease," Pannell said in a letter to Chrysalis parents and alumni. "The warm smiles and shared laughter throughout the day told most of the story."

After their week at the school, the Chrysalis group went on safari for two days and then headed to Kilimanjaro.

"The girls were terrific, overcoming altitude sickness, occasional despair and almost certain uncertainty about their ability to manage the climb," Pannell wrote in his letter.

Every member of the group made it to the crater atop the mountain; all but two finished the climb to Uruhu, Kilimanjaro's highest peak. The 19,340-foot mountain took five days to climb and two days to descend, Pannell said.

"I'm glad I did it," he said. "I don't ever want to do it again."

After conquering the mountain, the girls were asked if they'd like to spend their remaining time in Tanzania. Despite the splendors around them, the girls voted to return to Kaloleni.

In a way, they have never left. Chrysalis has "adopted" the Tanzanian school and hopes to continue helping improve it. Donors have already pledged money to provide clean drinking water and significantly improve the school's kitchen, Pannell said.

The fence the girls worked on is still incomplete. Kaloleni has a few broken, archaic computers that need replaced. The school could use plumbing to connect the kitchen with the water supply.

Students currently outnumber the school's textbooks four to one, and four students cram into desks built for one. About 150 students at Kaloleni have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic, and many can't afford lunch, which costs $2 a month.

One hundred dollars will take care of a student at Kaloleni for a year, Pannell said. The cost covers a school uniform (two pairs of shorts or skirts, two shirts, two pairs of socks and one pair of shoes), lunch for the whole year and school supplies.

"If I can raise $10,000, we can take great care of this little school," Pannell said. Kaloleni will still be an impoverished school, but "it will be a better impoverished school."

To help Chrysalis support Kaloleni School, contact Carolyn Miller in Chrysalis' business office at (406) 889-5577.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Posted in Featured Story on Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:00 am.


© Copyright 2012, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell, MT.

Clearly the local economy in Kalispell, Montana, is pretty program-driven...

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The Daily Inter Lake
A place of growth

Chrysalis School nurtures and challenges troubled girls

Posted: Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:00 am
KRISTI ALBERTSON/Daily Inter Lake

When he watches students from Chrysalis School in Eureka clamber up nearby Stone Hill, Kenny Pannell can't help but find parallels between rock-climbing and the students' lives.

"Rock-climbing is a wonderful metaphor for the kinds of issues our girls struggle with," said Pannell, who, with his wife, Mary Alexine, has operated the therapeutic boarding school out of his home for 11 years.

"Some are terrified," Pannell said. "Others get 2 feet off the ground. What they learn as they get better and better is there's always a way."

Pannell and Alexine, both licensed clinical professional counselors, have been helping girls find their way through difficult stages in life since they opened Chrysalis School in 1998.

They'd helped found Montana Academy in Marion in 1997 but decided that they wanted to work in a home-based school. Not wanting to compete with their friends at co-ed Montana Academy, Pannell and Alexine decided their school would be open to girls only.

They purchased two acres in Eureka in July 1998, and Chrysalis' first student arrived two months later. A number of girls trickled in that fall; the seventh girl arrived in January 1999.

Over the next few years, they added a handful of staff members and capped enrollment at 10. Demand continued to increase, Pannell said.

"At the end of three years, there was enormous pressure for what we were doing," he said.

Most of the pressure came from educational consultants, professionals who are not uncommon in urban areas. Consultants suggest the best possible learning environment for a particular student, and there was significant demand for schools serving the niche Chrysalis served, Pannell said.

Girls at Chrysalis have experienced depression, anxiety, or trauma from rape or molestation. Some are adopted girls with mild attachment disorder or teens who can't process their grief. Others are recovering from substance-abuse problems.

They aren't hardened criminals or girls with conduct disorders, Pannell said.

"In general, Chrysalis has softer girls, not hardened, tough girls," he said. "They don't make our neighbors nervous."

Fifteen-year-old Thea said she came to Chrysalis because she had several unhealthy relationships at home.

"I'm co-dependent," she said matter-of-factly. "I put a lot of work in relationships other people aren't putting work into."

Chrysalis has been a refreshing change, she said, because other girls are willing to be vulnerable in relationships. They "relate to you, your past and what you've done," said Thea, who has been at Chrysalis for almost six months.

"I felt welcomed because everyone is the same," agreed 14-year-old Megan. "There's no room to judge here. Everyone has been in each other's shoes at one point or another."

Charli was only 13 when she came to Chrysalis more than two years ago.

"I was super immature and had some social skills problems," said Charli, who came to Chrysalis for help in overcoming her self-esteem and self-harm issues.

"It's tough at first," she said. "But it's like one of the best places to be."

Other girls have thought so, too, and demand for Chrysalis' services has driven its growth for a decade. In 2001, that demand coincided with a neighboring couple's desire to retire and sell their bed and breakfast.

"Between their pressure and the educational consultants' pressure, we bought their property," Pannell said.

The bed and breakfast became "Lake House" because of its proximity to Carpenter Lake just outside the back door. The original house was christened Horse House, because the school's horses are kept near there.

Chrysalis has since added a third residence, the Cottage, a guest house, a schoolhouse and a large building for parties and other events. The campus sits on about 27 acres less than two miles from Lake Koocanusa, and up to 35 teenage girls call it home, at least temporarily.

Most girls stay at Chrysalis for an average of 18 months to two years, Pannell said.

At first, all girls attend classes at Chrysalis. Eight teachers teach core subjects in small classes, with somewhere between three and seven students.

Even though they're at Chrysalis, the girls are earning credits through Lincoln County High School's alternative school program. This makes for a nearly seamless transition for girls who transfer to the public school.

All students are required to attend school at Chrysalis for at least one semester, Pannell said.

"Ninety-five percent of our girls start out in [our] classroom for a couple semesters and finish at LCHS," he said. "We're careful not to send them before they're ready."

Many Chrysalis students have struggled in traditional school settings, so sending them straight back to public school would be counterproductive, Pannell said.

At the high school, the girls are allowed to participate in extracurricular activities. The girls also have plenty of extracurricular activities at Chrysalis, including community service work and the school's "adventure program."

Service is important at Chrysalis. The girls are active in the Eureka community, and the one or two international trips the school takes each year always include a service component, whether it's volunteering in an orphanage or helping a school with building projects.

"We just try to make sure the girls learn how to give back," Pannell said. "Kids in this generation are fairly narcissistic. Giving back, it's foreign to them."

Physical fitness is also an important aspect of life at Chrysalis. Pannell and Alexine take advantage of the school's location to keep the girls in shape.

They hike, mountain bike, swim, rock climb, canoe, kayak and ride horses as long as the weather allows. In the winter, they ski and snowboard every weekend at Whitefish Mountain Resort. The Chrysalis soccer team competes in the fall and spring against other private schools in Northwest Montana.

"It absolutely improves mood," Alexine said of the exercise. "They feel better in their skin, too. So many young women are bombarded with images of what they should look like."

The constant activity makes the girls stronger, which results in "spontaneous self-esteem building," she added.

The students also learn about themselves through the activities, as Pannell pointed out.

In life, as in rock-climbing, there is always a path to follow, even if a person has to feel around for a while to find his or her way, he explained. Impossible-looking rock faces always have holds; so does life.

"It's kind of hard to see those things when you start out," Pannell said. "If you just keep stretching with your hands and your feet, eventually you find a way up there. What they discover, through sometimes tears and lots of anxiety, is, 'I can do this.'"

For further information about Chrysalis School, call (406) 889-5577.

Reporter Kristi Albertson may be reached at 758-4438 or by e-mail at [email protected]

Posted in Local/Montana on Sunday, September 20, 2009 12:00 am.


© Copyright 2012, Daily Inter Lake, Kalispell , MT.

Quote from: "educationrebel"

Don't blame the kids. I've been teaching for 58 years, and like the Hitler Youth Corps, if you brain wash them long enough that achievement and ego satisfaction is what's life is all about, not deeper things like self-discovery and a life of purpose, then this is what you get.

An expert opinion

Joe confuses what goes on in discovery groups with "self-discovery," and a Hyde-ified life as being equivalent to "a life of purpose."

Like the Hitler Youth Corps, if you brainwash the kids long enough, not to mention their parents, they won't know the difference either.

This is something that Hyde School knows all too well, having diligently practiced it for well over four decades. Here's a recent post to that effect, from another thread on fornits:

Hyde Graduate.  Mr.Mcrann (former Headmaster) Bath Campus spoke at a my first summer challenge general meeting he stated " WE ARE GOING TO BRAINWASH YOU!"

Oh my Stars & Stripes! America's self-proclaimed (and self-recognized) experts in character development ... seek to engage the public in a discussion on the Topix Education Forum.

educationrebel
"To an educational revolution"[/list]
Below is the opening lob served up by Joe a few years ago, and inspiring, thus far, a regrettably less than robust response:

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time to stand up for american kids


#1 educationrebel · Bath Maine · Jun 25, 2009

Those in power so want to clone American kids into Asian students, that like cattle, they have committed them all to be 100% academically pure by year 2014.
Never mind how that twists the character of American kids; that they don’t like our schools, and that one drops out every 12 seconds.
Or that 2/3s of them cheat on tests, 1/3 steal from stores and 93% are satisfied with their ethics and character.
Or that the best and brightest went on and threw America's economy under the bus. The Bank, Enron and Madoff fiascos, plus the extensive systems that supported them, made it very clear our economy had a character leadership problem, not an intelligence one.
Don't blame the kids. I've been teaching for 58 years, and like the Hitler Youth Corps, if you brain wash them long enough that achievement and ego satisfaction is what’s life is all about, not deeper things like self-discovery and a life of purpose, then this is what you get.
Our forefathers gave us a profound gift: a nation built on an ideal: All men are created equal. Respecting that ideal has been an enormous challenge, but it built an exceptional society never seen in the history of the world.
So why the hell are we trying to copy someone else?
What we need today is something we have never had—a truly American system of education; one that truly respects the unique potential and character of each kid; to help each one answer the critical questions of life: Who am I?; Where am I going?; What do I need to get there?
This focus would re-center American education on parents and family, who desperately need the school's help and support, as the school desperately needs parent and family involvement. If the purpose is really to prepare kids for life, it is ridiculous to separate family and school.
I am the founder of a network of 5 Hyde private and public schools that I began 43 years ago. We set out to develop the unique potential and character of each student, and discovered we had to help parents and families to be successful. It's been a real challenge, but the huge rewards are in reuniting families and in seeing kids go out and lead meaningful lives.
Once you truly motivate kids, academics are no longer a problem. Hyde serves 2,000+ students, 80% minority, and 98% go to college.
But it will take a lot more than Hyde Schools to change American Education. We need a movement of concerned Americans.
I hope this hits home with you and maybe with others you know. If so, let me know what you think. we need to start a groundswell!

Copyright ©2012 Topix LLC

Quote from: "T-Rex"

When does someone other then Dannys friends call IBcuy to validate whether Juan went to Elan or not.

So... I'm curious: How and why did Juan Ferreyra, originally from Argentina (?), end up at Elan School during his adolescence ... Elan School being located in the northeast corner of the United States?

Was Ferreyra already in the U.S. shortly prior, perhaps attending boarding school? Did some person or persons recommend Elan School to his parents? Did his family happen to have friends or relatives in the state of Maine?

Humor me, I'm ignorant about these facts... Can anyone shed some light as to the precipitating circumstances?

I'll ask Debi Johnson. He was there at the same time as her

I personally called his program and got no where. Nobody will talk with anybody about Elan. I think Juan knows about this site and has been reading. If he was affiliated with Elan, as a resident or staff he doesn't want this coming out now I guess. Ursus the comments from ex students you posted concerning IBcuy doesn't help him either. I don't think he was a resident at Elan but I do think it is  someone who went to Elan and moved to Argentina. In 1978 Elan had several residents come from Central or South America, they came in as I was leaving. We have been trying to track down this lead but no avail as of yet. Their parents were wealthy coffee plantation owners. Dr. Davidson was involved with this. According to the facebook account Juan F. he is saying he got to Elan in 1980 or there abouts.  
If you want to know my honest opinion I think this is all a bunch of bullshit that someone made up and had some fun with. I do believe there is a program and it does resemble Elan and maybe an ex- elan guy is down there and Wayne is in contact with them. Who knows but how would they know I am going to be calling and will not answer any questions at all. I had an actual Argentinian from Atlanta handle the phone calls.
If and when everyone decides to take off there blinders you will then find out just how twisted Waynes mind really is. I am going to contact Debi Johnson...lmao...like Debi Johnson doesn't already know all about Juan F. IBcuy. It is all over your secret facebook site and she is an admin on that site. It is one thing to screw with me, Wayne, but when you drag innocent people in that is just crazy.
Ursus you aren't going to get a straight answer from anyone here.

Okay... Any news yet from Debi Johnson, Wayne?

I was dead serious re. the query, especially the part about whether or not Juan's family happened to have friends or relatives in the state of Maine. Perhaps even connected to or involved in the addiction treatment industry?

Since I don't really know squat re. the personages involved, this may well be a long shot... and quite possibly nothing more than an odd coincidence I happened to stumble upon...

A video clip of a previous WDRB interview of Kenobbie re. his work with foster children, linked to in the above article:

• WDRB Interview of Kenobbie

Tried to get a message to Wes about this but his mailbox is full. Can we get word out about this?

Sorry to have to break it to ya like this, but... Wes passed away February 13, 2009.

See also:

• Wes Fager
  viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26969
• Wes Fager's Funeral
  viewtopic.php?f=7&t=26983